


Rebuilding Swap Kingdom

by LA_Peach



Category: Undertale (Video Game), underswap
Genre: Closure, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23561707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LA_Peach/pseuds/LA_Peach
Summary: King (Swap Asgore) has been summoned by his estranged wife to the palace, but he does not know why after all of this time the queen would take any interest in him now.This story is about Asgore and Toriel having a serious conversation about their past and moving on, finding new roles to play in the UnderSwap Kingdom.
Relationships: soriel - Relationship, underswap toriel/underswap sans
Kudos: 7





	Rebuilding Swap Kingdom

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place sometime after my comic "Of War And Love" and shares continuity with my explicit fic 'A King and His Coffee'

King had not truly prepared for this.

After living for years in the forest near the ruins all by himself, he believed he had removed himself from this place. He had thought the white marble pathways and grand, arching bridges leading to the palace would hold no meaning for him. But every step made his knees a little weaker, every face staring at him brought back memories.

The palace seemed a shell of its former self. Cracks had formed in some of its walls, the banners and flags hanging from the spires were frayed and torn. When he wore the crown, this place had been pristine.

That hurt a little. The guards at the gates recognized him, but seemed to hold little in the way of reverence. King didn’t blame them. He had been gone a long, long time. They escorted him through long hallways, moving deeper and deeper into the palace. He saw few monsters, and many an alcove was dusty or in need of repairs.

As the giant double doors opened, King was met with a flurry of activity. The throne room was well lit, feeling just shy of bright and sunny. The throne itself was gone, replaced with a small table scattered with papers and carved wooden paperweights. His own face had been carefully depicted in one such weight, sitting on a part of the map that was close to his home, although it was a bit off and looked too young.

His attention was drawing to the loud noises of a small brigade of skeletons dressed in overalls and covered in paint stains. They were repairing a crumbling column, and by the looks of it they had repaired two others already. They were loud but smiling.

King was incredulous. The last he’d been here the skeletons in the Queen’s employ had all been soldiers, no exceptions. Strong in magic, the Queen used them as her personal army. But now they ran about with the many other busy monsters in the room, relaying messages and occasionally running out of the back way to carry out some instruction or another.

The noise in the room went quiet as everyone finally noticed that King Asgore had entered the room. And while he was sure that some were wondering if they should bow or address him, not a single voice interrupted the sudden stillness. One and all they looked to their Queen.

“Asgore to see you, Your Majesty,” said one of the guards beside him.

King cleared his throat. “Hmmm, ah, please. King is fine.”

There was a flash of anger in the Queen’s eyes.

“I don’t go by ‘Asgore’ anymore, Your Grace.”

Her eyes softened, and King was sure he saw her release a breath she’d been holding. “Very well. Guards, leave him be. We have much to discuss.” Wary of him but loyal to their Queen, the guards bowed and retreated. The other monsters went back to work, the noise in the room rising to a cacophony once again.

As the crowd around them dispersed and King could see clearly, it was obvious now that the Queen was pregnant, and very far along to him it would seem. Coffee had been telling the truth. A skeleton dressed in a soldier’s uniform, wearing a captain’s badge, hovered near her right elbow. On hand in case the Queen should need anything, or to catch her should she stumble. King paid him no mind.

He closed the distance between them and bowed, feeling stiff and ungainly. He had not bowed in many, many years. “You called, My Queen?”

“Took your damn time, didn’t you?” she sneered testily. “I called for you last week.”

“Meaning no offence, Your Grace. But I feared what such a summons might entail. I have heard nothing from you these past years.”

“Nor I from you. So let’s drop that little thought now, shall we? I did not come after you and you did not send word to me. You abandoned your kingdom in its time of need.”

“I do not see it that way.”

Her hands clenched into fists and her whole body shook. The captain touched her elbow lightly and the Queen seemed to calm again. King coughed politely behind a fist and changed the subject.

“You look good.”

“You look like a filthy lumberjack.”

King looked down at his clothes. He wore what he always wore these days. Rough, dark pants. A cloak over an unbuttoned flannel shirt. In this bright lighting, you could see every stain and tear. He hadn’t really thought about it since his delicate, expensive clothing had long since fallen apart.

“I work the land now. Not much call to look like royalty.”

“Indeed. Your working of the land is why I called you here.”

“It is?”

“Perhaps you have been separated from your people for too long, King. Have you any idea what the kingdom is facing, right now?”

“War from the humans?”

“No.”

The captain took her hand as the queen climbed the three steps up the dais where the throne used to sit, regarding the table and the papers strewn there. “The humans are no longer an issue for us but we are facing a very real threat. My people are hungry.”

My people. Not our people. She did not see him as one of her subjects. She rubbed a hand over her swollen stomach, and King’s heart broke a little. He remembered her first pregnancy. His son. She was so small back then, hardly looking like she had been pregnant at all. But he remembered rubbing her stomach as they lay in bed, waiting for the magical day.

She was a different person back then.

“My people are hungry. I need your help to grow produce. Root vegetables. Carrots, potatoes, the like. Things that will keep in their cellars and provide enough nutrients for the coming winter. Come the spring, we will need seeds to begin planting our own fields.”

King looked over the papers and the carved figures.

“And if I refuse?”

That sneer that he was so used to came back. “I ask you now as a courtesy. Should you refused to help my people, I WILL seize your land and use it for the crown. I won’t hesitate to destroy you for the health of my kingdom.”

King held up his hands in a halting gesture. “Reflexive question, My Queen. I will do all I can to help our people. It will take a few months before I can bring you a shipment of vegetables, there is much to…”

“Fine. I will be sending some of my people for updates on your progress, you are dismissed.” She waved her hand. When he didn’t move, she narrowed her eyes at him. “That means you may leave, _Asgore._ ”

“Toriel,” he could see her whole body bristle when he spoke her name. “Can’t we talk, privately?”

Before she could answer with the scathing remark that was on her lips, the captain once again, touched her arm. She looked at him long and hard. Although he never said anything, she eventually tossed her arms in the air. “Fine!” She stomped away, the captain struggling to keep up.

King found himself in a small sitting room, dimly lit but with a roaring fireplace already making cozy fire-shadows against the walls. He tried to dismiss the captain but Queen Toriel would hear none of that. He stayed as long as she wanted him to stay. The skeleton’s smile never faltered.

This captain was, as far as King could tell, endearing if a bit unassuming. He had said nothing thus far, but King wondered what kind of a relationship these two shared, that the captain could convey messages with just the touch of an elbow. He felt a little twinge in his stomach. He had never had that with Toriel.

“Well?” she said impatiently, standing close to the fire. “Talk if you want to talk. Otherwise get out and leave me alone.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of where to start. “How’s the baby?”

“That’s not any of your damn business.” She snapped.

The captain, in a gesture King found far too casual for his station, placed his hand on the small of the Queen’s back. “He’s being gracious, My Queen. Give him a chance.”

She crossed her arms. “The baby is perfectly healthy. Due any day now.”

“Have you found precedence for them to inherit the throne?”

“What do you care?”

“I care very much.”

“You left this kingdom in its time of need! You left me!”

“Toriel. I left because the death of our son instigated a period of unrest. You wanted full out war against the humans. I couldn’t have that.”

“You could have stopped all of that! You could have helped! You could have supported me and been by my side, with a kingdom united, fighting for a just cause!”

“It wasn’t just! You can’t make the death of one even with the death of many! You poured everything into the war effort, something I’d been working for years to stop.” He took her hand, although she seemed repulsed to have him touch her, she didn’t pull away. “The council, the people, everyone wanted to see you happy again. No one could see the devastation the war would bring. I left. Yes. I abandoned everyone. In the hopes that they would see their own plight and turn inward, help each other. What good would the surface world be for us if we entered it with death marring our souls?”

“I…” She stammered. “It’s been years. Don’t expect to come back and pick up where you left off. You hurt me, Asgore. I cannot ever love you again.”

“I uh…” He sighed. “Toriel, it’s been too long. I don’t want to come back.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I’ve moved on from us, from the royal family. I have no desire to rule. I live simply now.” He eyed her round belly. Wishing, with all his heart that he’d been able to give her the other children she’d always wanted. But the royal family was notoriously barren and difficult to breed. They had never been blessed more than once.

The Queen looked hurt. “It looks to me like you have moved on too.” He patted her belly gently, he was rewarded with a hard kick from the baby within. He chuckled, genuinely amused. “Who’s the father?”

“They are a child of the realm. The kingdom is their father.”

“There is no way the people accept that.”

“It doesn’t matter who the father is. They will be a true ruler for the people. My subjects love her just as much as I do.”

“Her? How do you know?”

She shrugged. “Feels like a ‘her.’ Either way, I won’t be telling you who the father is, nor will I be telling the people who the father is. It will be a non-issue who her parentage is. She will rule simply by the strength of her character.”

“You speak as if you know her already.”

She rubbed her belly again. “I have gotten to know her very well.”

King nodded and took a moment to look aground the small room. He couldn’t remember what they had used it as before he’d left, but it was certainly not a room he was familiar with. Everything here spoke of comfort. A couple large, plush chairs and sofas, a few books scattered about, goblets and small plates strewn about here and there all suggested that the Queen spent a fair amount of time here. Probably de-stressing from her day and trying to remain comfortable before the arrival of the baby.

A chalice of blue and white stone beads rested on the mantle. Here he did a double take, incredulous. He reached out, flooded with intense emotions and memories. He knew those beads. They were a gift from the people during their wedding ceremony, the wishes and hopes of all infused within them, to be imparted into their unborn child to give them the spirit and integrity needed to be a good leader.

He only just managed to keep from outright grabbing the beads. They did not involve him anymore, as much as he had lovely memories wrapped around them.

Queen didn’t miss any of it. “You're right. I’ve moved on, too.”

King took a deep breath, and let it all out. Everything. Any misgivings, fear, hate. He let it all go. It didn’t matter anymore. The Queen had moved on and was, by what he could see, taking steps to fix her kingdom. He no longer had such a direct role. But he did have a job to do now, and he’d do it gladly.

He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah yes. Well that’s my cue to be taking my leave, then. I really must get back before he worries.”

Toriel stuttered. “He?”

The old king blushed deeply. He hadn’t meant to say that. “Yes. A um… skeleton.”

A very telling look passed between the Queen and her captain. King understood then who the father was. They weren’t hiding it very well. It was likely everyone in the kingdom knew who the father of the future queen was, yet no one cared enough to speak up and break what would become the Swap region’s best known secret.

“I think I understand,” the Queen smiled her first smile he’d seen and held out a hand. King shook it gratefully, suddenly eager to be off and back home where he could unobtrusively chat a certain tall skeleton’s ear off as he made plans for the extra crops he had to grow now. He said a quick and clumsy goodbye, promising that he could find his way out without them, and took his leave. But not before seeing Toriel bend and kiss the captain on top of his skull.

He chuckled. What was so special about skeleton monsters? They seemed to capture the hearts of more than one goat.

King hadn’t been so happy to leave the palace the first time, this time he hummed jauntily to himself as he took what felt like the first steps beyond the white marble streets. He was eager to be home and in the arms of someone he cared for dearly, a care that would now be quilt free.


End file.
